May 13, 2002, 11.58pm IST
S Krishna
VIPASSANA is a Pali word that means insight; of seeing things as they really are. It is a technique that purifies the mind, that helps us overcome negative qualities of anger, hatred, greed and selfishness largely through self-observation and introspection.
While undergoing a course in Vipassana meditation, students are encouraged to remain within the course site, minimising their contact with the outside world. They refrain from reading and writing, and suspend religious practices. Silence is observed; there is no communication even among fellow students. However, they are free to discuss meditation questions with the teacher and material problems with the management. This enables the meditators to concentrate their mind and focus their energy.
Three steps are followed in the practice of Vipassana: First, students abstain from actions that cause harm. They undertake five moral precepts: no killing, no stealing, no lying, no sexual misconduct and no use of intoxicants. Observation of these precepts allows the mind to calm down and get focused.
Second, for the first three-and-a-half days, students practise Anapana Sati or observing the incoming and outgoing breath. This helps in mind control. The mind is ever active; we find that it either thinks about events of the past or imagines happenings in the future. Similarly, if we analyse the kind of thoughts we have, we find that they are either pleasant or unpleasant. If the thoughts are pleasant, we want to have more of them, and so we develop a craving for them. But if they are unpleasant, we want to avoid them.
The third step is the practice of Vipassana, by which one penetrates one’s entire physical and mental structure with the clarity of insight. The meditator observes the various sensations in the body and realises their impermanence. This realisation purifies the mind from the defilements of craving and aversion. Through Vipassana, we can change the habit patterns of the mind. The meditator just observes the sensations without reacting to them. The Buddha called this Yatha-bhut Gnan Darshan. By observing sensations objectively without reacting to them, we are able to get rid of the old stock of cravings and aversions. Eventually, the mind becomes free from defilements, and the meditator experiences nibbana.
Vipassana can be practised by people of any background. The only requirement is that the person should be mature and willing to practise the meditation for 10 days as per the daily schedule of the Vipassana centre. Once a regular 10-day course is taken under a qualified teacher, it can be practised regularly at home. Though the technique was made popular by Gautama the Buddha and has been a part of Buddhist tradition, it is purely non-sectarian. The Vipassana meditation technique is scientific and can be practised anywhere in the world. It is, therefore, universal.
The Buddha himself taught Dhamma or the way, the truth, the path. He did not call his followers ‘Buddhists’; he referred to them as ‘Dhammists’ or those who follow the truth. The technique works on the basis that all human beings share the same problems, and that a pragmatic method that can eradicate these problems can be universally practised. From time to time, we all experience agitation, frustration and disharmony. And when we suffer, we do not keep our misery to ourselves; instead, we distribute it to others. Vipassana can help change all that.
How will Vipassana help the world if only a few persons practise it? How can the problems like poverty, unemployment, disease, violence, discrimination, war and exploitation, be solved by a few people practising Vipassana meditation? The individual is the key. An individual is a unit of society. Society consists of individuals.
Individuals make up society, societies make up nations and nations make up the world. We can share with the world only that which we have. If we have money we can share it with others. But, if we don’t have even a single paisa, how can we share it with others? Similarly, if by practising Vipassana, we can make our own life happy, we can then distribute happiness to others. Only happy people can make a happy world. Miserable people make a miserable world. If by practising Vipassana, we can become happy, healthy and peaceful, we can then distribute and share this wealth with others. Through Vipassana we generate love and compassion in our hearts, and by practising mettabhavana we distribute it to others
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